LISTEN! God speaks in the Silence of our hearts.

The journey of discernment begins with purification by reflecting on the relationship between God and us. In discovering the great wonder of God who is love, we realize our own sinfulness and weaknesses, and a deep longing of perfect happiness with the One who springs from the heart. Purification therefore is a process of breaking away from superficialities and ego-defences, of detachment from sinful inclinations, wrongful habits and selfish affections. Purification is recovering one’s original beauty and goodness as a human person and as a child of God who is made in His own image.

The stage of superficiality consists in the important elements needed to help the discerner acquire a profound disposition in order to perceive the desire and will of God, and in distinguishing the obstacles which affect choices and decisions. The main objective of this stage of spiritual discernment is to lead the searcher to answer two important and basic questions: 1) Who Am I? 2) Who is God?

Prayer, silent listening, noticing, admiration, faith, humility and purification are necessary to put a person in a proper disposition as he/she starts her/ his journey of discernment. Here, the discerner is led to discover and know more about the loving presence of God in daily experiences and distinguish his voice as he calls us.

Let us take a closer look at the story of Elijah. It is a story of God speaking in silence…

Elijah's encounter with God (1 Kings 19, 11-14)

Many times, when we pray, especially when we pray about our vocation, or about the desire and the will of God for us, we ask for a sign. We ask for a visible, audible and specific sign to assure us that we are not making a mistake, and that it will guarantee our contentment and bring peace to our confusion and crisis of choice. When we pray, we wait for an overwhelming experience of God as a response to our longings, expecting to almost hear his voice in our very ears because we are a people of certainty who welcome not and fear most what error brings.

But we should learn from Elijah who stood on the mountain waiting for God to pass by. There was the windstorm which rent the mountains and broke the rock into pieces, the storm and the earthquake, and the fire. All these were supposed to be signs of God's power. But they are not God, and God is not in them. Then came the silent murmur of the gentle breeze. Elijah recognized the presence of God in this and he goes out to meet him, face to face. The prophet perceived God, not in great signs, but in silence and gentleness.

And when God gave the prophet his mission, it is not primarily a message of consolation because it entails a lot of sacrifice and trials. There is no concession to the prophet's fears.

Jesus himself has totally mastered and continue to teach us how to handle silence. He often withdrew from the crowd and went to a solitary place to encounter his heavenly Father. It is in silence that we can test the validity of our emotional crowd-induced experiences. Jesus was ever attentive to the silent but clear voice of His Father. Jesus was ever sensitive to the desire and will of God. And it is Jesus who tells us that the one who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened (Lk. 11, 10). Our Father knows what we need even before we ask him, and that he will not hold back anything that we need.

We sometimes underestimate the value of silence, and we tend to take for granted the importance of what happens during silence. We expect our experience of God to be a "moving" thing, but it is not always so. More often it is more like the experience of sheer silence, or a gentle breeze touching our ears saying "Fear not, my beloved, I am just here and will always be here." Yes, things can happen to us in silence that would never happen in noise. All it takes is silent listening. It is in the very depth and peace of our inner soul, where deep convictions are born.

In the silence of God, is perfect love. And with this love the journey of discernment begins. It is in silence that we are able to notice God's nearness and hear and distinguish His gentle but unique voice from other deceiving voices. It is in silence that we can begin to 'purge' ourselves from the obstacles which affect our choices and hinder us from hearing the voice of God and perceiving his loving desire for us. It is in the silence that we can see beyond the immediate and transient. It is in silence that we enter more into prayer and communion with Christ. Most of all, it is in the silence of God that faith is born, because it is in the silence of our hearts that God speaks louder.

Do you hear other voices within your silence? What did you hear? Whose voices did you hear (parents, teachers, priests, media, peers)? Do you also hear God’s voice?

Yes, God speaks in the SILENCE of our hearts. He uses our feelings and emotions to manifest his desire for us. What is our deepest desire? What is God’s desire for us? LISTEN!

We would only know the answer if we truly know who we are. See you in the next article: WHO AM I?